Eclectic Taste in Music
by CeredwenFlame
Summary: A New Girl comes to the school, bringing a very different mix of music with her.  How will she fit in and how will Glee react to her? Find out by reading.  Mostly Original Character and her interacting with Canon. Rating for Language.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee. This is only for the enjoyment of myself and fellow fans. No money is being made from this. **

**Author's Note: I had an idea and while we will get to Canon charactes soon enough, I wanted to create a little character that was somewhat different from what we are being given on the show... and I intend to use her to be a voice of music that is darker and different from what the show gives us... though I will of course stick to more traditional musical stylings for any actual competitions they do. However, I feel the weekly assignments leave room for her to select things from what she loves and to open their eyes to a whole new world of music.**

**I hope you enjoy this. Please feel free to PM me with questions and comments. Any music I use, I will link you to at the bottom of the chapters so you can access them for yourself. Please review, they feed my muse's hungry, hungry soul. LOL**

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><p>She sat beside her mother in the car… looking out the window at their old house and felt a million different feelings rush through her blood. She hated this. She hated that they had to leave everything that had been familiar - comfortable. Okay well maybe it hadn't been quite comfortable for a long time but at least it had been familiar. She hated that she had to leave her friends. She didn't have many of them but what few she had were precious to her… and now the closest she'd get is a voice on the line and words on a computer screen - maybe skypeing. Because they weren't just moving across the town - oh no…. they were moving to another state entirely.<p>

Selwyn was going from living life in suburban New York to living life in some hole in the wall little town called Lima, Ohio. She was going to Mckinley high school and she wasn't happy about it. She sat there, her arms folded across her chest, a pissed look on her face, wishing this was some kind of god awful nightmare. She knew it wasn't though… and her mother was returning them to her childhood home. Her mother had grown up in Lima but had ended up going to NYADA and had been a dance teacher in New York. That was how she'd met Eagan Iestin.

Eagan had been a passionate performer but he was also a shrewd businessman. He wasn't mean or anything he just had a set way of doing things. Eagan was a quintessential alpha male and he wanted things to be a certain way and if they weren't then he wasn't entirely happy. What no one had known was that he'd been having an affair for almost as long as he'd been married to Belladonna Maglione. However, Sel's mother had to have known something was up because for as long as she'd been with Eagan, she had always had an account that was just her own… and she put money in it every week. She wasn't rich but she'd amassed quite a great deal of money. Money enough to put up as some form of equity to open a small dance studio in her hometown of Lima. It was a small storefront, but that didn't matter.

Things were finalized, the remodeling was done and now, Bella and Selwyn were making the last part of their journey to a new life. Sel still had the trust fund that her father had set up for her - despite how rebellious Selwyn had been her father still loved her and perhaps he felt it was his penance for destroying the young woman's world. Who could say? At this point, Selwyn didn't care. Her mother had custody of her and she was having to leave New York behind and she was less than happy about it. She missed the performing arts high school she'd attended already.

She was a writer and an actress, but she'd taken dance classes and voice lessons since she was small. She had a fairly impressive body of work behind her already - despite the fact that she was only 17 years old. She was an odd duck - always had been, but her mother had always supported her… Sel's auburn hair was streaked with black, her body pierced and tattooed but her mother never loved her any less. She just figured that it was one more way for her daughter to express herself and she'd never stopped the girl. She might have occasionally questioned it - but only to make certain that it was what Selwyn truly wanted.

So, Selwyn had five piercing in each ear, one in her lip, one in her tongue and three more hidden beneath the fitted t-shirt she was wearing. She had a band of fire - that was fairly lifelike looking tattooed around each upper arm and then on her back were a pair of exquisite wings of fire. She'd found a phenomenal tattoo artist whose work was always so lifelike that it looked like it lived and breathed on its own and he'd taken a great deal of time to do each of the tattoos that Selwyn bore. She certainly cut a very unique picture compared to those who lived life in this small Ohio town. She hadn't in New York though… She'd stood out a little but she'd blended in almost as much. So this was all going to take quite a bit of adjusting.

"I still don't understand why I couldn't have stayed in New York." Selwyn muttered. "Especially since Lima doesn't have a performing arts high school. There's like nothing here."

"Selwyn, we have been over this, dear one… I have divorced your father and I was awarded custody of you. I am trying to start over and I am trying to bring more arts back to the town I grew up in. I know it is going to be an adjustment, but please try. If you are still unhappy I will speak with your father and we will see if some compromise can be made - alright?" Belladonna offered.

Selwyn sighed. "Yeah sure… whatever. I still can't believe you came from this place… It's like the complete opposite of your personality Mom."

Bella chuckled. "I know… but I was in glee club and I went to college in New York. The place does not always make the person, Selwyn but they do help shape us - just as the people in our lives do. I did community theater and your grandmother made sure I got to take dance classes, even though we had to drive for almost two hours every Saturday to get me to them."

"I'll give it a try mom but we're hardly even here yet and I miss New York… this… this is like culture shock mom. And look around - all these people are pretty plain. I'm going to stand out like a sore thumb." Selwyn said softly, her voice a little self conscious.

"Where is my confident daughter? You have never questioned your appearance before… Why are you starting now?"

"Because in New York, I fit in… I mean sure my tattoos are kind of unique but I'm hardly the only kid from the New York High School of performing arts with dyed hair, piercing and tattoos… Do these kids here even know what tattoos are?" Selwyn asks with a scoff.

"You'd be surprised, Selwyn dear. I know it doesn't seem like it right now… but I grew up here and these people are far more complex than they outwardly appear - they always have been. Just because they are more subtle about it doesn't mean they aren't just as unique inside." Belladonna reassures her daughter.

"So when does the glee club meet and what will I have to do to join it?" Sel asks.

"Well I'm not sure if it has changed or not, but they usually meet the final free period of the day. And you'll have to audition but since you went to New York High School of the Performing Arts I doubt you'll have any trouble with that. Though if you plan to do anything outside of the Broadway Standards, it might be smart to bring sheet music with you." Belladonna says simply.

"Right then. I can do that. I'll just print out some copies... Hmm I could also take my Menace... if you let me..." Sel says with a sly smile.

"Why don't you leave your guitar at home for your first day, Selwyn dear. They'll probably have guitars there and you wouldn't want to intimidate people too much your first day there - would you?" Belladonna inquires, teasing her daughter.

"Why the hell not? If I do that then at least I'll get my way from the start - right?" Sel challenges.

"Culture Shock can go both ways, Sel dear. Take it at least a little easy your first day - please?"

"Fine mom." Sel says, sulking more.

"Do you have a song in mind?" Belladonna inquires.

"Yeah I was thinking about something from Lacuna Coil. Not sure which song yet though... I'll leave off the ones that are in Italian for now... and I'll have to nix anything that has male vocals too... but that still leaves a lot to chose from." Sel muses

"You do seem to love that band. What is it in particular that draws you so much?"

"Well first off, Cristina Scabbia is a vocal goddess... and second the blend of hard music and soft lyrics just appeals." Sel says with a shrug. "Hmm though the guy sings most of Trip the Darkness, I could maybe do that one. They also covered Enjoy the Silence and I like their version much better than the original... Heaven's a Lie is good too. There's a lot of them that I like... I could probably do any of them really - so long as I don't have to do the growly guy part..."

Belladonna chuckled, unable to help herself. "I am sure that whatever you finally decide on will be beautiful. Though aren't there other bands that you like?"

"Well yeah but most of them have male leads... I mean I could probably draw something from the Cruxshadows repertoire... Most of the J-rock I like isn't in English so that nixes that... I like some normal stuff too... but I'm not sure vocally I'm suited to most of it. I know for a fact I can rock some Coil. I guess it's my comfort zone. I know I'm going to have to probably do a lot of top forty or Broadway stuff in the club - most are like that - right? So I figure why not give them a taste of something unexpected right off the bat... Maybe it could open their eyes or something." Selwyn explains.

"Well once you get settled in and get unpacked perhaps you should go through some of your music and see what speaks to you the most. I know that always helped me when I had to choose music for something." Belladonna explains.

"That will work. I'll set up my laptop and go through my music while I unpack my stuff. You said they delivered everything and put it in the rooms we specified already - right?" Sel asks.

"Yes. It is a good thing we came out here last weekend and designated the rooms already. That was very helpful for the movers. I know this is going to be a hard change for you Selwyn dear but you don't hate me for this do you?" Belladonna inquires, she was quite worried about this in all actuality.

"No mom, I don't hate you. I understand - really... I'm not over the moon for having to move before my senior year but I know things between you and dad were... well... shitty for lack of a better term. I just wish there'd been some way for you and dad to separate and me to be able to finish out at the school I've been going to like my whole life. It's a lot of change mom... and I'm gonna be honest - I'm kind of scared. I've never been to a normal school before... and I know that people out here in a small town are probably going to be bothered by how I dress and how I talk... I'm not really looking forward to that. Plus, even though I didn't have a ton of friends, I'm going to miss my crew. Julian, Damien, Lyssa and Reina are going to call when they can and we'll talk over Skype and stuff but it's not the same. I'm not across the city, I'm part way across the country... and I'm going to be in a new city at a new school and pretty much by myself... and from where I'm sitting it has all the potential in the world to suck." Sel says with a sigh.

Belladonna gave a good deal of thought to her daughter's words. Unfortunately, Selwyn made a very valid argument. She had no doubt that it was something scary for Sel. It was a complete and total change from everything her daughter was used to. She had normal classes at her old high school but it was far from a normal public school. It was focused on the arts and all of the kids there had been as passionate about the arts as Selwyn... "Well just be true to yourself, Selwyn - that's the most important thing I can tell you. As long as you don't compromise yourself to please others, no matter how much this might suck, you will get through it and you will come out stronger. But I think you'll be surprised by how many friends you make." Belladonna answers with a quiet smile.

They finally got to their new house. It was smaller than they'd been used to... and it was certainly in a far less populated area but the quiet was oddly nice... They took their suitcases in the house and Sel immediately went inside and up to her designated room and got out her laptop getting everything set up and music started to pour out of the speakers she'd attached to it... Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Pop, J-Rock, Industrial, Electronica and a little bit of everything in between. Sel closed her eyes, took a deep breath and released it slowly then opened her eyes and set herself to getting her bedroom set up the way that she wanted it and to get all of her things put away. She had the weekend. Come Monday, it was time to start school at William McKinley...


	2. Chapter 2

Monday morning came all too quickly. Selwyn had showered the night before thankfully so she wouldn't be running late this morning. She had laid out an outfit the night before as well. It was easier than trying to select something in the morning when she was still half asleep. She slipped on the black cargo pants and the black Lacuna Coil t-shirt that had the band name and logo down the left side of the front and the words, I am the Hottest Chick in Metal along the top of the back. Selwyn loved the shirt. She'd gotten it at a concert, and they'd had red ones, but she'd gotten one of the last black ones. It had a cut v-neck in the front but it was comfortable and it suited her.

She put on socks and her black combat boots and then combed her hair, it seemed it wanted to do that tousled wavy curl thing... but then she'd gone to bed with it wet so she shouldn't be surprised. It actually didn't bother her since it was doing it fairly uniformly. She really didn't feel like straightening it this morning even if she had the time to. She lined her eyes with kohl and added some silver and gunmetal eye shadow, some light blush and some crimson lipstick and that was that. She thought she looked good - a little darker than what this small town was likely used to but that was fine by her - she wasn't exactly all sweetness and light herself.

She grabbed the sheet music she'd printed out and put it in her black messenger bag with her notebooks and pens. She and her mother had to go to the school a little early to get Sel's class schedule and books so she made her way down to the kitchen. She ate some cereal and drank some tea, still in the process of waking up really.

"Are you excited at all, Sel?" Her mother inquires.

"Not sure if I'm excited or... nervous or both." Sel says with a half chuckle.

"Well that's normal. Are you almost ready?" Bella inquires as Sel rinses her bowl out in the sink.

"As I'm going to be." Sel says as she grabs her black hoodie from the back of the chair she'd been sitting at. Thank the Gods it wasn't too hot here. The mornings were cooling off and it seemed a little cooler here in Lima than it had in New York - but that was probably owed to there being far more open space here. She got her things together, her wallet on its chain in her pocket and double checked her messenger bag for everything. Satisfied, she met her mother at the car.

"Did you pick a song?" Bella inquires.

Sel smiles. "Yeah. Took something from Coil's Shallow Life CD. The song is called, I Like It. I think the lyrics to that one are poignant for what's going on right now... well maybe not all of them but some of them." Sel chuckles.

Belladonna smiles. "I am sure you will do fine. You always have done well whenever you applied yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get to the school. I want to see my course schedule and find out when glee club meets so I can figure out how long I have to wait to get this part over with."

"Alright." Bella says as she finally pulls out of their small driveway and makes her way to William McKinley High School. They get there early of course and they spend time in the office. Sel wasn't quite sure what to make of Principle Figgins but he could be worse she suspected. She didn't like the look he gave her when he spied her lip ring but she figured she was going to have to get used to that... Let the suckage begin.

She got her schedule and found out that her mother had been right. All of the clubs in the school met during the free period at the end of the day. If you weren't in a club, free period was a study hall. She could wait. She got the books she needed and made her way to the locker she'd been designated. She looked around taking in the various people. The jocks, the cheerleaders, geeks and everyone else. Some were easy to categorize with a certain clique and others weren't. Of course there hadn't been the same kind of cliques at her old high school. It had been, drama geeks, singers, dancers, and things like that. She really had to stop thinking about her old school. She was going to start missing her friends and she really couldn't handle that right now.

She got to her locker and managed to get everything she didn't need and her hoodie tucked away into the locker without having to worry about any of it toppling out the next time she opened it. She took a deep breath and released it, shutting her locker and making her way to her first class. She didn't know it but there was a buzz already starting about the new girl...

She sat off by herself at lunch though a number of different guys tried to approach her, she glared and ignored them for the most part. She just wanted to get through her day.

"You think we should ask the new girl to sit with us?" Tina inquires.

"I don't know she seems to be scaring everyone else off when they approach her." Mercedes points out.

"Well so far it looks like it's just been guys. They were probably hitting on her." Tina argues.

"I think we should just leave her alone since that seems to be what she wants. Let the girl get settled. It's her first day..." Mercedes replies simply. The rest of the table agreed. So for now, they would leave the new girl be.

"She does have a bad ass sort of hotness about her though." Puck comments.

"Really Puck?" Quinn scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"Well yeah, I mean, look at her. Piercings.. and tattoos. Kinda hot if you ask me."

"Puck, if it is female you generally think it is kind of hot."

"Whatever." Puck scoffs, going back to his food.

Imagine their surprise when the new girl shows up in the chorus room during free period...

"Is this where the Glee club meets?" Selwyn inquires.

"Yeah it is." Finn says simply.

"Where's the teacher?" Sel asks.

"Oh, Mr. Schuster will be here in a couple of minutes. He has a class last period so he probably just got held up answering some questions." Finn explains he gets up and offers his hand. "I'm Finn Hudson." He says with a small smile.

Sel takes the offered hand and gives it a firm shake. "Selwyn Iestin." She responds.

The rest of the glee kids introduce themselves. She thought Rory's accent was cool and she said something in Gaelic and his eyes went wide as saucers and he started rambling off in Gaelic right back.

"How many languages do you speak?" the boy named Kurt inquired. She liked his light voice, it reminded her of her friend Julian's though Kurt's sounded just a little more effeminate.

"I speak English, Italian and Gaelic fluently. My mother is Italian and my father Irish. My father's mother is the one who named me though - it was her last wish. She died two weeks after I was born." She explains. "I intend to learn French and Japanese at some point too."

"Any specific reason you want to learn Japanese?" Tina inquired.

"Oh, well I watch a lot of anime and listen to some J-Rock and J-Pop because of it and I'd like to be able to understand the lyrics and to not need subtitles." Sel responds with a laugh. Mr. Schue came in just then.

"I see we have a new student in our midst." He prompts.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Selwyn Iestin."

"What brings you to Glee Club?" He asks.

"Oh well, I went to the New York High School of Performing Arts but when my parents split up and I had to go with my mother... she decided to return to her hometown... Glee is as close as I'm going to get to some of my old classes it seems and my mother was in Glee club when she went here." Sel explains.

"That has to be quite a cultural shock for you." Mr. Schue says softly.

"It is... but it doesn't suck as bad as I thought it would and the rest of the Glee club have already welcomed me and they all seem pretty nice. Not going to lie though, I miss my old school." Sel replies.

"I miss my old school sometimes too, but the Glee club is full of really great people. We don't always get along but in the end we're always there for each other - it's kind of like a family." Blaine explains.

"Where did you used to go?" Sel asks.

"Dalton Academy."

"I've heard of their show choir. The Warblers... impressive." Sel says with a smirk. She'd only known of them because her best friend Julian had a mad crush on one of the guys in it but that was neither here nor there.

"So, Selwyn do you have a song to audition with?" Mr. Schuster asks.

"Yes, I do... but I feel the need to warn you that it's probably not what you're used to hearing. I have a rather eclectic taste in music and while I can sing top forty and Broadway standards, I wanted to give you guys a taste of something different." She says with a grin. She pulls the copies of sheet music from her bag and hands them to the pianist and to the kid playing the drums and one to the kid playing bass. She steps up to the kid playing guitar. "Mind if I?" She asks, pointing to the guitar. The kid smiles and hands it over.

She adjusts the strap, slings it over her shoulder and checks the tuning. She walks over to the piano and plays a couple notes, down tuning the guitar. Puck leans over to Sam... "How bad ass is that? A chick guitarist." He whispers. Sam just chuckles. After a few more tweaks she smiles and steps out into the center of the room calling out the count and soon, the music starts...

~Everything is different today

I like it, like it

I feel very different today

I like it, like it

I'm not gonna be in your parade

'Cause I don't like it.

You think I'm a dirty little game

You think I like it

You made up this fantasy with me

But I don't like it.

I want you to get away from me

That's how I like it.

How do you like it?

Today I'm gonna fly

There's nothing that can keep me on the ground

Touch the sky, I'm free inside.

You think you're the master, I'm the slave

You think I like it.

You don't even know me anyway

That's how I like it

I am getting ready to move on

But you don't like it

You can kiss your fairy tale away

I like it, like it

How do you like it?

Today I'm gonna fly

There's nothing that can keep me on the ground

Touch the sky, I'm free inside.

Today I'm gonna fly

There's nothing that can keep me on the ground

Touch the sky, I'm free inside

I'm free to do what I like

I'm celebrating my life

I'm free to be what I like

I'm celebrating my life.

I'm gonna get what I like

Gonna celebrate till I die

I'm celebrating my life

Today I'm gonna fly

There's nothing that can keep me on the ground

Touch the sky, I'm free inside.

Today I'm gonna fly

There's nothing that can keep me on the ground

Touch the sky, I'm free inside.

I'm free to do what I like, I'm celebrating my life

Free inside

I'm free to be what I like, I'm celebrating my life

Free inside... ~

The song faded to an end and she stood there, head bowed over the guitar, her hair drawing a curtain across her features as the applause started up. They were all stunned. First by her playing, second by her voice and third by the power of the lyrics. "That was very good Selwyn... Welcome to the New Directions." Mr. Schuster says with a big smile.

Sel looks up then, smirking. "Thanks." She says as she goes back to the piano, retunes the guitar and hands it back to the kid who'd had it to begin with. She moves over to an empty seat near Kurt and Blaine.

"Alright guys, as you know we're looking to get back to Nationals and to actually take them this time. But first things are first. We have to get to Sectionals. We'll get to that... but I think that in light of Miss Iestin's offering, that perhaps a different lesson should be in order for our first week back. I want you all to look outside of your normal repertoire... For songs that you like but maybe don't feel like you could sing. Bring me a list of them and together we'll figure out what would be the best to challenge yourself with for a solo. I want the lists ready for tomorrow. Let's expand our horizons. To be fair, I'll bring in a list too." Mr. Schuster explains. "Why don't you all start discussing some ideas while we have time today."

The class was more interested in commenting on Sel's performance.

"What band is that from?" Puck inquires.

"Lacuna Coil. They're my favorite band. The lead singer, Cristina Scabbia has one of the most awesome voices. It's always lyrical and beautiful despite being surrounded by heavy metal. They're an Italian metal band... but they have a small following in the US too. They usually come with Oz Fest. I thought about doing Senzafine but it's in Italian and I figured it'd be better for my first song if you could actually understand what I was singing." She laughs.

"How long have you played guitar?" Finn asks.

"Hmm I've played it and piano since I was five or so. I was at private school till my freshman year then I went to the New York High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan so I've always done a lot of things. My mother is a dance teacher. She opened a dance school here in Lima - Eclectic Beats. She wanted to bring the arts a little closer to where she grew up." Sel explains.

"What was your focus while you were there?" Kurt inquires.

"I was actually focusing on acting. But I've been doing dance and music since I was little so I kept up with them. I also took some martial arts at my father's behest. He wanted to make sure his little girl was safe if she left Manhattan." She chuckles.

"What martial art did you take?" Mike asks.

Sel looks down. "Well I did a lot of research before I started and so did my father. I wanted something that was going to be a lot more practical... Something that focused on things that would be more applicable if I got into a real fight. No martial art is going to protect against a gun but the rest of it, I wanted to have a better chance of not being a victim. New York has its dangers. So finally, after much arguing, I settled on Krav Maga." She explains. "I had just hit Graduate rank one before I had to leave New York. I'm going to have to talk to my mother and find out if there are any places that teach it around here. I can go through my forms and drills and stuff but it's not the same as having a class."

"What's Krav Maga?" Finn asks.

"It's actually an Israeli martial art. It's used by the Mossad and by our own military and some police forces. It focuses on ending a fight in the quickest, most efficient way." She explains.

"I don't hear any brain storming going on over there." Mr. Schue says with a chuckle.

"Sorry Mister Schue but we have a new student and we're all pretty curious... can't blame us for that - right?" Puck protests.

"He's right though we will need to have a list for tomorrow so we should at least start.. What kind of music do you all listen to?" Sel asks. The group spout off various things, most easily found on American radio. Then Rachel turns the question around on Sel.

"I listen to a lot of stuff... pretty much everything except for country music and hardcore rap. I do listen to a few country songs but for the most part, not my thing. I prefer rock, heavy metal and j-rock to be honest. Most of the music on my Ipod is in another language." Sel chuckles.

"What is J-Rock?" Rachel asks.

"Japanese Rock. Thanks to friends getting me into Anime, I like a lot of J-Rock and J-Pop. Gackt and Hyde are two really awesome artists... And Gackt pretty much composes on every instrument he uses in his music. I like some Visual Kei too but they can be a little outlandish. Their music is awesome but their look is over the top. The general rule with Visual Kei seems to be if it looks too good to be true it's male and if it looks so-so it's real. Oddly, a lot of the guys who play Visual Kei tend to dress like women or at least androgynously. It's kind of a go big or go home kind of thing - at least the way it seems." Sel explains with a shrug.

"Could you bring in some examples?" Tina asks.

"Sure. I've got enough I can turn into a couple of cds. Just hope you don't mind it being in Japanese. Some of them try English... in fact in Hyde's new band Vamps, the song Devil Side is in English but you can't really understand half of what he says." Sel says with a laugh. "The song rocks though, intelligible quotient aside."

"So what are you going to make a list of Selwyn?" Rachel inquires.

"Well since I go for more hard rock and metal, I think I'm going to go for something either top forty or pop oriented. I can sing Lacuna Coil all day long, but I have a similar range to Cristina Scabbia's so that's my comfort zone. I need to take a small break from singing Broadway show tunes though. Last year that was all my one music class focused on. As much as I love Broadway, I think I need a little break." She chuckles. "What about you, Rachel?"

"Well I don't really know. I love Broadway and Barbara Streisand but if we are supposed to broaden our horizons, I'm not really sure what to choose."

"Hmm well I'd have to call my mother and ask if it was okay, but if she allows it you could all either come over to my house or if one of you has a bigger place we could meet there and I'd have to stop home to get my laptop and my guitar but then we could go through some of my music. We should actually all get our music... If someone has an Ipod docking station we could use, I could just bring my Ipod, all my music is loaded on it anyway and that's a lot easier to cart around than my laptop... and then we could all take turns alternating between the different music we really like and maybe we could help each other find something outside our normal comfort zones." Sel suggests.

"That sounds like a really great idea, Selwyn. I am sure my fathers wouldn't mind us using the game room again. It's quite large and I have a rather nice Ipod docking station." Rachel suggests.

"Not a problem. My Ipod's in my bag in my locker. I'll just have to call mom and let her know. She'll be overjoyed I'm making friends already... And that I'm in Glee Club. She was in glee club when she went here." Sel explains.

"Oh? What is your mother's maiden name if I might ask." Mr. Schuster inquires.

"Belladonna Maglione." Sel replies.

"Bella's you're mother? God it's been ages since I last saw her. I think the last time I saw Belladonna was just after graduation. How is she doing?" Mr. Schue asks.

"Oh well she's alright. She and my father just got divorced and that was kind of... crappy... but mom's still teaching dance so she's doing okay I guess. So you went to school with my mother?" Sel asks.

"It would seem I did. Hers is not exactly a common name. Tell her Will Schuester says hello."

"I'll do that." Sel says with a smile and the final bell rings. Everyone gets up and goes out to their lockers. Sel gets her stuff and quickly calls her mom, regaling her with the tale of the day's events. Her mother sounds both surprised and pleased that Will is heading up Glee and she okays Sel going over to Rachel's.

Sel makes her way over towards Kurt and Rachel's lockers when she notices some big dumb jock harassing Kurt... She narrows her eyes. "What is your problem jock?" Sel calls out, her back straight, head high.

"You defending this fag?" The kid asks.

"First, that's a very rude word and second, so what if I am?"

"What's a little girl like you going to do to stop me?" The football player asks. Sel sighs and then smirks, grabbing the jerk's arm and yanking it behind his back and up before kicking out his left knee. "This for starters."

"Hey that hurts."

"Good, it should. Now, you are going to leave Kurt Hummel alone before I have to go and speak with the principle. And if I really wanted to, with the leverage I have right now, I could walk you down to the principle's office and make you confess to the man yourself... I'm from New York... don't push me." Sel warns.

"Alright alright bitch, let me go." The kid says.

"Not until you apologize. First to Kurt for calling him that very rude name and secondly to me for calling me a bitch."

"I ain't doin' shit." The football player protests.

"Really, you think so?" Sel inquires and puts more pressure on the kid's arm, smirking as he gasps in pain. "Now apologize before I start marching you to the principle's office."

"Sorry Kurt... Sorry New girl." The football player says, his voice sounding pained and insincere but at least he was saying the words.

"That's better. Now run along before I show you what other skills I learned living in New York." Sel threatens, shoving the kid as she releases him. He gets up mutters crazy bitch and moves off down the hall.

"Wow Selwyn... that was... amazing... So that was that Krav Maga you were talking about?" Rachel inquires.

"A little of it yeah. I could have really hurt the kid but I figured just doing that was ego damage enough." She laughs. "Are you all right, Kurt?"

"Yeah I'm okay. Thank you, Selwyn."

"Hey no problem. If you want, I'll teach you some of what I learned in my self defense classes. We could see if any of the girls want to learn too. I think everyone should at least have a few basic ways to defend themselves should the need arise." Sel explains simply.

"Okay but I'm not much of a fighter."

"Oddly enough, neither am I." Sel says with a laugh.

"So did your mother okay you coming over?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah. Someone will have to drive me though. I don't have a car yet... And I can either get my mom to come get me unless someone wants to drive me home."

"Well we won't be too late anyway. My fathers prefer if everyone is gone by 9pm on school nights." Rachel says simply.

"I could drive you home, Selwyn... it's the least I can do since you got that football player away from me." Kurt offers.

Sel smiles. "It's a deal... Thanks Kurt."

"Hey, we glee kids stick together. Though I should warn you Selwyn that the football players will likely be gunning for you now. You should be wary of Slushie attacks and Gaga only knows what else." Kurt warns.

"You'll have to tell me more about slushie attacks and their other favorite torments on the way to Rachel's." Sel says as she adjusts her messenger bag and walks out of the school with Kurt and Rachel.

* * *

><p><strong>The song Selwyn used for her Audition is: I Like It by Lacuna Coil. I suggest looking it up on youtube it's awesome as is the rest of their music. I own nothing Lacuna Coil does... but I worship at the altar of their awesomeness.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel went to her own small car and Selwyn kept following Kurt. He reminded her in some ways of her best friend from back home, but at the same time Kurt was completely different. Finally, Kurt stops and Sel looks to the Navigator they stopped at. She blinks. "Nice." She comments.

Kurt grins. "Thank you. What kind of car do you think you might want?" he inquires.

"I've never really thought about it. Living in Manhattan, it was always the subway or a taxi or a bus or a car service every now and then. We never needed for me to have a car. But I don't know something small, I'm not much for huge vehicles. I don't mind riding in them but I've never been comfortable behind the wheel of them. Maybe a hybrid... I have some time to think about it." She muses.

"So, what do you think of McKinley so far?" Kurt asks.

"It's really different from what I'm used to. It's going to take some time to get accustomed to it. My high school didn't have sports and the most cliques we had were people just grouping up based off of their focuses... but we all still intermingled fairly well. Even if you focus on one thing more than the others, you're still expected to participate in all the performances to some degree. And it's going to be difficult to not want to kick the ass of every jock that starts messing with you and the rest of the glee kids." Sel explains.

"Not that I mind, but why does it bother you so much?"

"My best friend since like forever, Julian, is gay. I just can't help but get mad about it. It's not fair and it's not right and something needs to be done about it. When I saw that kid shove you into the locker I couldn't help but think what if that was Julian? I've never been one for standing idly by and watching someone hurt people I consider friends." Sel says with this tone that was hard for Kurt to read. It sounded like she was restraining the anger or something... Selwyn was certainly fiery - that was for sure.

"Well I'm not sure what can be done in a place like Lima." Kurt says with a sigh. After all he'd been dealing with this for quite a while and it didn't seem to be getting any better. He couldn't wait to be out of High School...but there was still senior year to get through. Honestly, if he didn't have Blaine and his friends in Glee who could say where he'd be right now.

Sel ponders his words... "When I get home I'll talk to my mom and to Jules to see what we can come up with. Julian's dad is a civil rights attorney so he should be able to help. If you wouldn't mind, when you're driving me home, I'll text Jules and let him know to get on Skype and then maybe you could come in for a few minutes and explain the situation to Julian. The more information you can give him, the better Mr. Amaro will be able to help and I'm sure you'll be much more eloquent than I will." She laughs.

"You said that you're a writer though, surely you have a way with words?" Kurt teases.

"Oh sure, I can charm the devil if given half a chance... but when I'm all up in arms about something, I tend to go all fire and not enough control. Sure, Julian can read between the lines and for as long as he's known me, he damned well better be able to, but it'll go faster and easier if you just tell Julian... besides you two will probably get along pretty well. Julian may not be a Diva like you are, he's actually quite laid back and generally unassuming but well.. you'll see what I mean." Selwyn chuckles.

"I'll take your word for it. We'll be at Rachel's soon but could you tell me a little more about your friends from New York?" Kurt asks.

"Sure. I've known Julian Amaro the longest. We became friends in kindergarten. I pushed him because he was in my way, he stood right up to me and pushed me right back and that was that... we've been joined at the hip ever since. The other three we gained freshman year. Julian and I went to the same private school up until High School and thank the Gods we both ended up going to the Performing Arts school or I'd have gone insane... Kind of like I feel like doing right now. I'm hoping that's just because this is all still so new and it'll pass when I get settled, but it's so fucking strange not being able to just walk down the block and meet up with them all." She sighs.

"Sorry, continuing. Damien Scott was in my first period English class. He's pretty smart... Looks like a playboy, thinks like a geek. He's funny. His focus is acting like mine was... but he's got an awesome tenor voice. He plays drums too. Guess I'm going to have to put the band on hold... ah well." She mutters. "Lyssa's focus is Singing. Lyssa Reynolds is this petite, blonde haired blue eyed fluffy princess... soft feathery hair, looks like some kind of doll but holy fuck when she opens her mouth to sing...floors them every time." Selwyn laughs.

"Reina StormCrow is the odd one I guess. She does dancing... she's half Lakota Sioux on her father's side but her mother's this beautiful little latina woman. After her father died her mother moved in with her sister who was working in New York. She's our resident mystic too... though I work a mean tarot deck... Reina learned as much from her grandmother as she could before she had to move. She knows about sweat lodges and all the traditional stuff... it can be kind of cool. When she's not in Native mode, she's like any other teenage girl - dreaming of shopping and boys. Goddess help whoever gets dragged down 5th Avenue with her." Selwyn explains with a chuckle. God talking about her friends made her miss them that much more.

"You'll have to tell me more about them later, we're here." Kurt says with a soft smile. "But what band were you talking about?"

"My band... Pathological Eros. I'm the writer and lead guitarist... Julian plays bass, Damien is drums, Lyssa does keyboards and Reina does the rhythm guitar and sometimes we switch off. We all sing... but we play things a lot harder than what you sing in glee club." She laughs.

He blinks. "Your band is named Compulsive Lust?" He asks, amused.

"Yeah pretty much. I'll show you a group shot of us all decked out for a performance and you'll understand well enough - even if you are gay - we're all still hot." Sel laughs as she slips out of the Navigator. Kurt was laughing as well but then he paused before they got up to the door.

"Do you really think Julian's father can help?" He asks.

"It can't hurt to ask. IF anyone will know how best to present things to the school to make it so they really can't refuse, it'll be Mr. Amaro." Sel says with a smile.

"Maybe we should discuss it with Blaine and the others too..." Kurt ponders.

Sel caught the way the boy's name rolled off Kurt's tongue... "Are you and Blaine together?"

"Yes, for six months or so now."

"You know the exact timing down to the second, don't you?"

"Perhaps." Kurt responds with a sly smirk... they finally made it to the door and knocked. They were soon greeted by the Misters Berry. That Rachel was being raised by two gay men was kind of awesome to Selwyn. It also gave her two more adults that might be able to help her help Kurt. Even though she was focused on the glee assignment, part of Sel's brain was trying to work out how best to go about helping Kurt. She couldn't help but think of what she'd do if Julian would have had to go through anything remotely like this.

The kids all sat around listening to music and getting ideas. One of Rachel's fathers brought down some very large bowls of popcorn and the other trailed behind with a tray laden with pitchers of homemade lemonade and red solo cups. Sel played some of her J-Pop and J-Rock while they all took some time to enjoy the popcorn and lemonade.

"Hey, this one's got a pretty good groove." Puck comments. "What's it called?"

"I'm not even going to attempt the Japanese, but translated it's called Mercury Lamp Lit Night. Coolest thing about it is, the guy that's singing is actually the Japanese voice actor for the character Uryuu Ishida from Bleach. I know you guys don't know what that is, but it's still pretty awesome." She explains.

Finn thinks about it, and nods. "You're right, we may not know what Bleach is, but that does sound like it's pretty cool." He agrees. "I mean there are enough American actors and actresses that try to sing but really shouldn't."

Selwyn relinquished the music for a while and they didn't always let songs play clear through, just let them jump around and stayed long enough to get a good listen before moving on - after all between them all, there was quite a lot of music to go through.

"Rachel, let this one play, please?" Sel asks. Rachel nods. "I went through a Natalie Merchant phase. My voice is more suited to belting out ballads but I've always enjoyed the message of this song..."

It was Wonder by Natalie Merchant... Sel was smiling. "Well, I think I found my song." She laughs. "I like it too, and it's certainly not my usual style but Natalie Merchant's range is pretty comfortable for me from the sound of it. I'd do Because the Night by 10,000 Maniacs but I think I should stay away from doing too much with sexual under or overtones - for now." Sel snickers.

"Says the girl who put together a band called Pathological Eros." Kurt teases. Finn looked a little confused so Kurt, shaking his head, elaborated. "If you translate it, her band's name is Compulsive Lust." He chuckles.

"Really? That is so hot." Puck says with a smirk.

Sel eyed Puck... he wasn't her type but she did enjoy playing... she moves closer... "Really? That sort of thing excites you?" She asks, her tone nearly purring and all Puck could do was blink.

"I would so totally chew you up and spit you out." She laughs.

"I could be down with that." Puck chuckles.

"Hmm tempting but... I just moved here... I am so not looking to get involved with anyone. Besides, as my friends back home could attest, it takes a very special individual to be able to keep up with me as friends much less as more. My mother assures me that my fire will temper over time, but until then, I do have a tendency to burn people out." She says with a shrug.

Puck couldn't help himself... "You can burn me any time. I mean you're a singer, you play guitar, you kick ass - you might just be more bad ass than I am and you're smokin' hot."

"Well thank you Puck, I am flattered but you're still not getting in my pants." She chuckles, patting his cheek.

They continued listening to music... by the end of it, they all at least had a list... Selwyn was going with Wonder by Natalie Merchant, Tina was taking something from Sel's music and going with Make me Wanna Die by the Pretty Reckless and Sam had selected Thinking of You by Christian Kane. They had all been surprised to hear something country coming off of Selwyn's Ipod but she had an answer for that - "Hello, have you seen Christian Kane? He plays Eliot Spencer on Leverage and was Lindsay on Angel... He's hot... and he's got a really amazing voice. He actually performed Thinking of You on an episode of Leverage..."

They helped Rachel clean up and then they were all on their way. Selwyn slipped back into the passenger seat of the Navigator, watching as Blaine and Kurt shared a quick kiss goodbye. She liked them... hell she liked most of the glee kids. She still wasn't sure what to make of Brittany and Mike was pretty quiet, but no one annoyed her yet... Sure, Rachel was a little over the top but that was common place at her old school so she was well versed at tuning it out.

When Kurt finally slipped behind the wheel, he was smiling. "So, shall I give Julian the warning to get his ass on his laptop and be ready to Skype by the time I get home or do you want to do it another night?" Sel inquires.

"Well, let me call my father and let him know I'll be a little longer and I don't mind. I'm kind of excited to think that there might actually be a way to make things better before I graduate... and in a way that will make it so that all of the kids that have been hiding in the closet at McKinley won't have to anymore." Kurt confesses. Sel smiles and nods and stays quiet while Kurt calls his dad. Since it was barely nine o'clock, Burt didn't mind if Kurt stayed out a little longer so long as he was home by ten. Since it would only take ten minutes to get to Sel's house from Rachel's they had plenty of time.

She took out her cell phone and texted her best friend. ~ Get on your laptop will be home in about ten minutes... Need to Skype it's important... You'll be meeting my new friend Kurt... Long story, will explain on Skype.~ She sent and now, all she had to do was get home.

* * *

><p><strong>Songs Mentioned This Chapter:<strong>

Mercury Lamplit Night (Suigintou no Yoru) Sung by Sugiyama Noriaki

Wonder by Natalie Merchant

Thinking of You by Christian Kane

Make me Wanna Die by the Pretty Reckless

**I own nothing but my original characters and any original ideas they come up with. **

**Please read and review. Thank You!**


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